Addo Elephant National Park has introduced large wildlife species and opened up new tourist road loops in the Colchester area of the park.
Addo Elephant National Park has introduced large wildlife species and opened up new tourist road loops in the Colchester area of the park.
Wildlife introductions culminated last week with the translocation of over 100 buffalo to this newly developed area of the Park.
The buffalo, which are valuable in conservation terms due to their disease-free status, were moved from the park’s main game area by park rangers and the SANParks game capture unit.
The translocation of buffalo followed the release of 80 red hartebeest, 40 Burchell’s zebra and over 20 eland into the area.
Some of the hartebeest were translocated from Mountain Zebra National Park, while the remainder of hartebeest, the zebra and eland were purchased through the World Bank project In a recent development, R11.7 million worth of funds has been secured through the Department of Environmental Affairs’ Expanded Public Works Programme for the construction an additional 20 kilometres of roads in the Park’s Colchester area.
Construction on these new tourist roads will begin in January 2010. The Colchester area will see the return of elephants, lions and other wildlife when plans to take down fences between the park’s main game area and Colchester area are put into action. This is likely to take place late in 2010.
The Colchester area is accessible from the Matyholweni Gate, just off the N2 near the town of Colchester, about 40km from Port Elizabeth, and includes the Matyholweni rest camp with its twelve chalets.
Matyholweni gate has become a popular entrance for visitors from Port Elizabeth, who then drive through the park to the main game area and exit via the main entrance gate.
